School officials have declined to comment on whether the students are still enrolled at East Henderson High.

A request for an appeal hearing was brought before the Henderson County Board of Education by the parents of one of the accused in January. According to the school system's Code of Conduct, long-term out-of-school suspension and expulsion can be appealed. Short-term suspensions and in-school suspensions cannot.

The closed hearing was canceled prior to the meeting, when school officials say the parents withdrew their appeal.

The victim, who is 16, told investigators with the Henderson County Sheriff's Office that she was in and out of consciousness on a couch while three of her classmates raped her at the party, where alcohol was consumed. All four of the suspects told detectives that they had sex with the victim, but said it was consensual, according to the warrants.

<p><b>Update</b></p><p><i>Recent court documents show that Tyler Scott Garren was 16 and James Matthew Bishop was 17 at the time this story was originally published.</i></p><p></p><p>Four high school students accused of raping a classmate at a party in December are scheduled to be back in court Friday to face charges of felony second-degree rape. </p><p>The students — all under the age of 18 — face a minimum of 17-and-a-half years to a maximum of 21 years and 9 months in the Department of Corrections if convicted.</p><p>Charged are Tyler Scott Garren, 17, of 140 Cow House Road, Hendersonville; James Matthew Bishop, 16, of 16 Wildwood Forest Lane, Mills River; Vincent Joseph Curto, 17, of 687 Oak Grove Road, Flat Rock; and Justin Wesley Ponder, 17, of 85 Relaxing View Drive, Fletcher. </p><p>School officials have declined to comment on whether the students are still enrolled at East Henderson High. </p><p>A request for an appeal hearing was brought before the Henderson County Board of Education by the parents of one of the accused in January. According to the school system's Code of Conduct, long-term out-of-school suspension and expulsion can be appealed. Short-term suspensions and in-school suspensions cannot.</p><p>The closed hearing was canceled prior to the meeting, when school officials say the parents withdrew their appeal.</p><p>The victim, who is 16, told investigators with the Henderson County Sheriff's Office that she was in and out of consciousness on a couch while three of her classmates raped her at the party, where alcohol was consumed. All four of the suspects told detectives that they had sex with the victim, but said it was consensual, according to the warrants.</p>